LITTLE ROCK-Twenty workforce training programs in Arkansas have been awarded $15.7 million in state grants.
The programs involve new collaborations between colleges, employers and high schools, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
Arkansas Department of Education director Brett Powell said that in order to qualify, a workforce training program had to include educational pathways for students that could begin in high school.
Powell said grants to universities and colleges ranged from about $350,000 to nearly $1 million.
Last year, the Legislature passed the Workforce Initiative Act of 2015 to establish a fund within the Education Department to create the training programs.
Among the training programs are a yearlong pre-apprenticeship program in electrical work and plumbing for Malvern-area high school students at the College of the Ouachitas, and robotic and computer-programming courses at Fort Smith secondary schools taught by faculty from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
Kim Gordon, the interim director of regional workforce grants for the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, said the school's initiative expects to enroll 66 students in its first year.
The university's training will allow students to receive certificates of proficiency, and students may also use their credits toward a bachelor's degree.
Tuition is free for students to participate in the Fort Smith school's programs, but school districts are expected to contribute to the costs next academic year.